Baumgart and the bonus: How long does the "grade 1" last?
Steffen Baumgart has been noticeably annoyed in recent weeks. Outbursts of rage with a bright red head on the sidelines, the slider cap torn from his head or swear words in interviews were evidence of the dissatisfaction, but also the unbroken energy of the FC Köln coach. Who, by his own admission, is not someone who "keeps his feelings to himself". Which is why he recently stated that they are "in an absolutely shitty situation".
However, Baumgart does not have to worry about his job just yet. Since managing director Christian Keller publicly gave him a "grade of 1" for his work and assured him: "We will manage to stay in the league with Steffen Baumgart", no other competitive match has been played. And even a defeat on Friday (20:30/DAZN) against serial champions FC Bayern Munich, however heavy, is unlikely to shake this confidence. "The points situation is unpleasant, the cooperation situation less so, because we're doing well," Baumgart told Sky: "It's good to know that people have confidence and I also hope that I can repay that."
Baumgart and the Union DNA
Nevertheless, the wind has become rougher at the Geißbockheim and Baumgart is no longer untouchable for every observer. After the Bayern game, he will have to deliver when the last five opponents of the first half of the season are Darmstadt, Mainz, Freiburg, Union Berlin and Heidenheim. And Baumgart has already experienced at close quarters just how quickly things can move in this business. Urs Fischer had to leave his favorite club Union Berlin just two weeks ago, even though he had led the club from the 2nd division to the Champions League.
"That won't have been a knee-jerk reaction," said Baumgart: "That's not just what I've read, but I assume that I know a bit about it." Due to his closeness to Union - Baumgart is a club member, he plays in the traditional team, his primary residence is in Köpenick and his wife once worked in the fan store - the 51-year-old was already considered by many to be the logical new coach of the Berliners.
"Baumi would fit like a glove. He has the Union DNA and the fans like his style," said Sky pundit Torsten Mattuschka, for example, who has close ties to Union himself: "If he had been free, he would already be coach at Union, I'm sure of it." However, there is talk from both Berlin and Cologne that neither side is looking to make the move in the long term. According to reports, there are also skeptics in the highest circles at Union because Baumgart could outshine everything at Union. The coach himself, on the other hand, might prefer to remain a fan instead of becoming an employee who will one day be criticized and dismissed.
The FC coach still has a grace period
This season has shown more relentlessly than ever that even the most celebrated coaches have a limited half-life. Fischer, Baumgart and Bo Svensson, who resigned from Mainz, seemed to be more firmly in the saddle than almost any of their colleagues due to their successes with modest means in the summer. Now the other two are already gone, both bidding a highly emotional farewell to the club and fans. And despite Keller's clear words, Baumgart's grace period will probably only last until the winter.
Because after six points from eleven games, the key question that leads to the main culprit of the crisis has long been discussed: Has Keller Baumgart put together too poor a squad? Or is he not getting enough out of it? It is a fact that Keller did not bring in the strong six-man and the expected goal-scoring striker in the summer. But it is also a fact that Baumgart rated the team as absolutely fit for the Bundesliga before the start of the season. He will now be judged on that. His popularity, his merits and his ideas for the game have rightly earned him a big bonus. But he will soon have to add current successes to this. That's how hard and cold the business is.
Source: www.dpa.com
